I just got back from an amazing run. I ran to Hebrew University, which is like half a mile away from where I live. The whole campus is completely enclosed by large gates (which I am starting to get used to now) and everyone who enters needs to go through security. So instead I ran on the outskirts of the campus and stumbled upon a beautiful little walking/jogging path (at least that's what it looked like) surrounded by trees. I was meters away from the West Bank wall, and I could see an Arab neighborhood spread out below me. I was so close to the Old City that I felt like I was practically on top of it. It was the best view of the Dome of the Rock I have seen thus far. Even with my loud music on, I could very clearly hear the Muslim call to prayer. For a girl who is used to running on the streets of West Wind in El Paso, Texas, it is hard to find words to accurately describe this! I'm afraid that no matter how many times I run this route and stare at this view, I will never be able to fully take it in and absorb it. This path continued down, but as there was no one around and I didn't know where the path led, and since I was so close to the West Bank I was too afraid to continue down so I cut through back to the edge of Hebrew University. It's such a shame that I have any need at all to be fearful in such a beautiful location. It's incredibly frustrating.
My first week of work was relatively uneventful. I have mostly just been doing media lists in Excel--creating lists, updating them, cleaning them up, etc. It's unbelievable boring. But I do feel like I have already learned quite a few things and have at least an idea of what exactly PR firms do. After 3 months I hope I will know whether this is something I want to pursue or not. The office is so quiet..for the most part everyone just sits at their desk doing their own thing. Everyone in my office is nice enough, just no one terribly exciting. I'm not used to sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day, so after about 4-5 hours my brain just kind of shuts down and my eyes start to blur! It will take some getting used to. I know there is much more to PR than this, so I'm hoping it starts getting better. There are two other interns, which is nice for me, but they only work 15 hours a week as they are also taking classes. But on the plus side, I completely have the bus route down to and from work. :)
Rose is coming into Jerusalem for the weekend to stay with us. We are going to the Old City and the Kotel (Western Wall) Saturday morning/afternoon. I have never been there on Shabbat so I'm quite excited. We also scored a free Shabbat meal with an ultra Orthodox, Haredi family in the Old City, so that should be quite interesting!!
I have my mailing address:
Arielle Kaplan
#6413
Students Village
2, Lohame'y Hageta'ot St.
French Hill
Jerusalem Israel
97880
I would love to receive letters if anyone wants to write to me!
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You should take some photos on your next run to that area since you can't describe it. It is a shame that you are afraid, but in our realistic world there are very real dangers. Unfortunately, they sometimes come down to simply the shape of your face or the color of your skin. The Islam call to prayer is such an interesting moment, any one of the five moments is really cool to observe. I wish I had been somewhere really religious during the call to prayer while I was there, but the most interesting time was in the market, where I was bargaining hard with a salesman who became stone silent upon hearing the call to prayer. Elsewhere business continued, but just seeing a large number of people turn a single direction and stay trance like is unique.
ReplyDeleteYou'll get used to the nature of the work, hopefully it will get more involved than computer work...
I'll gladly mail you something after you mail me something!